The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-05-25
SWORN TO LAY 4 GHOST.
THE LOVE LANE SPOOK AGAIN
MAKES ITS APPEARANCE.

THE LOVE LANE sPooK AGAIN
MAKES ITS APPEARANCE.
The Uncanny IIabitue of 4 Cemetery Who
Once I1atlc an Aged Darkey Fiddle for a
Devils Dance Comes Forth and Scares
Folks.
(From the New York Starr
Once again spooks have made their
debut in Love Lane, and the supersti-
tious citizens, particularly those Of the
colorado maduro brand, who reside
within the baihwicks of New Utrecht
and West Flatbush, L. /, near the
southwestern border Of Greenwood
Cemetery. and who are compelled to
pass that marble city after dark, never
consider themselves il full dress unless
they have pocketful Of brick or wear
carbines with hues like water mains.
II the neiglboring darkeys are to be
believed, the spook can only be seen at
midnight. At a recent meeting of the
New Utretch Watermelon Coterie, Pan
try and Vestry, held near Farmer Ber-
ry's chicken preserve, eight of the mem
bers testified that they had timed the
spectre by their watches. One of the
secretaries, who is assistant organist and
plays the chimes in the local colored
church, and whose word is fully as good
as his bond, said that he was the only
man in the club whose watch was fit for
anything but 2 tobacco box, as it was the
only one that contained any intestines,
but that the others had the time of the
appearance of the spook down fine. he
was with the others when they saw the
spirit, and they all got so frightened that
his watch stopped. He said that he was
the first man home that night, as the
others forgot where they lived.
1t is difficult task to make the aver
age colored citizen of the Kings county
towns believe that the present spook is
not the same that is said to have appear
ed to the Oldest of them in their younger
days. Love Lane, which borders the
Greenwood fence, has a legend to this
effect: Long, long ago an aged darkey,
who had been performing as an eZecu-
tive orchestra at husking bee in Gowa-
nus, was returning home during the dis
nal hours of the morning. He had
nearly reached the old toll gate, when
Satan climbed over the fence or through
it, and compelled the aged fiddler to
play for him. The orchestra turned
pale inch by inch, and his hair visibly
unkinked, until his hat looked as if it
were built on stills, but still he was COM
PEELED to scrape away for dear Life.
When his Satanic majesty had his savage
breast sufficiently soothed he wound up
the matinee by dancing a breakdown,
and, dashing his hoof against near by
bowlder, disappeared in spiral cloud
of suiphurous smoke.
The stone is there yet, and the hoof-
print is still an awe-inspiring sight to
the children and many Of the older peo-
pie of the towns. The weird and hair
erecting stone is Stunned after dark, and
there are many who will tell you that
his Majesty holds picnics there at about
this season every year. He never ap-
pears in winter or summer, probably
because Of his aversion to extreme cold
or diluted heat. It is shuddery spot,
to say the least.
Within the past few weeks the spook
has reappeared on the scene of its old
time orgies, and has been seen by several
citizens whose words can be relied upon,
although they take no stock in the super
natural. A well known resident of the
Eighth ward, whose place of business is
near the Fifth avenue entrance to
Greenwood, saw the vision one night
last week. He was driving past the
Fort Hamilton avenue entrance to the
cemetery when the spectre showed up,
causing his horse to shy. The spook
appeared to come directly through the
fence, in which there was no opening.
1t passed Immediately in front OF the
horse, which suddenly stopped and re-
fused to bulge. The gentleman risked
shot at it. The discharge was greeted
with hollow, chuckling laugh, and the
gentleman started his horse on a dead
run toward home. He says that the
figure or whatever it might have been
had dark cloak on and wore horns.
William Pye, who was formerl y q
stockholder under the old fashioned
track sheds in the gin and tansy days Of
the turf, but who is now junk numis-
matist through the country towns, is
emphatic in his assertion that he has
seen the spook on several occasions. He
remembers the old legend of Love Lane,
and says he can bring scores Of citizens
who have since INDUCED in involuntary
introductions to his spookship. Numer-
Gus other residents OF the neighborhood
are willing to testify to like encounter.
\ resident of Windsor terrace IN West
Flatbush also saw the ching" and says
that it was garbed in black, wore horns
and had hoofs. He says that he was re-
turning home the other night and when
near the Devils Stone the vision ap-
peared to rise up out of the ground i'm
nlediately in front of him.
~ was almost scared to death" he
said, "but plucking up courage l threw
a stone at it. The stone went clear
through it and could see the hole it
made"
This last assertion may be something
Of an exaggeration due to fright as the
gentleman admits he was so scared that
he lost his hat and was in such hurry
that he didn't stop to pick It up.
\ South Brooklyn florist whose busl-
ness interests in the cemetery will not
permit OF his name being used said:
''There's something strange on the
other end OF the cemetery, but I can't
avnlain il I've seen il myself, and so